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Torre not used to being idle come Octoberfest

Torre not used to being idle come Octoberfest

HOUSTON -- More than 15 years have come and gone since Dodgers manager Joe Torre had some free time in early October.

The Dodgers have virtually no chance of making the playoffs, slipping to three games under .500 with Thursday night's 3-2 loss to the Astros, their sixth defeat in a row.

"We're not in the race," Torre said. "Of course, we're not eliminated. But we're running out of games. We have not been able to put anything together to make us feel like we're in a race.

"It's been a long time since I've had a September that wasn't significant. I was tracking it the other day and it was 1993 [when he finished third managing St. Louis with an 87-75 record]. Because '94 was the strike year and in '95 I got fired in June."

Torre understood that for much of his managing career, he was in the right place at the right time.

"I've been very lucky to have been connected with the Yankees and L.A.," he said. "You look up, somebody loses and you're a step closer. That doesn't work for us anymore. We've got to win, and that's something we haven't been able to do. We spun our wheels. We haven't gotten any traction."

What will Torre do without any playoff games to manage?

"My wife probably has plans that don't include me," he joked.

Torre spent some time late Thursday afternoon watching the Reds play the Rockies, two teams fighting for the playoffs.

"You're not necessarily rooting for somebody, but you know what the feeling is like [being in the hunt]," he said. "[Now] you're not invited to the party. We haven't been good enough. It's as simple as that."